Today's Paper
» NATIONAL
» TAMIL NADU

High Court plans to change procedure for filing cases

The New system, to take effect from June 12, will facilitate speedy disposal

MADURAI: To facilitate speedy disposal of cases, the Madras High Court and its Madurai Bench propose to make changes in the procedure followed for filing cases.

The new system, which requires litigants and their counsel to submit a `coding sheet' along with the petitions, will come into force from June 12, when the court reopens after a 42-day summer vacation. The coding sheets will help the Registry easily identify the case bundles from the record rooms and group cases, involving a similar question of law, for combined disposal.

The court has ensured that the exchequer does not incur the cost of printing coding sheets. Instead, model coding sheets are being circulated to all Bar associations, and advocates are asked to find their own resources to print the sheets in thick green paper. A separate coding sheet has to be filed for different categories of cases such as writs, appeals, criminal petitions, review applications, cross objections and caveat petitions. To fill up the details including petitioner's name, the name of counsel and case numbers, the coding sheets have been given other salient features.

The High Court has formulated a set of seven digit code numbers, named `subject category codes,' for different types of cases as well as for Central and State Acts. Entering the code numbers will help to speed up feeding computers with case details.

If a case arises out of a similar question of law or facts that have been decided by the court in another case, the lawyers are required to mention those case details too in the appropriate columns. There is a column on the right top corner to mention whether the litigant is a senior citizen, so that priority can be given to such cases.